Their Second Chance
by LunaShadowWolf13
Summary: Tahno had a chance at love, but lost it. Faced with trying to keep a suicidal girl alive, will he finally find what he let slip through his fingers? Not to mention she's a firebender who hates fire and has a secret that could sway the whole Equalist war, she's got to make some decisions on her own. What will happen? And why does she keep trying to make Tahno hope for his bending?
1. Chapter 1 Saving

**A/N- Tahno has taken over my life. I'm serious, guys. Sexy beast, he is. I feel sorry for him.**

**Anyways, here's this that I came up with in the middle of the night. Thank/blame my stupid insomnia, depending on how you like this. :D I don't really have another explanation for this.**

**I will be writing the next chap of The Day He Broke Her, but I needed a break from that. Total writer's block. It sucks.**

**Anyways,**

**Enjoy!**

Tahno stood looking out over his porch on the beach of Yue Bay. It was quite the view with a stunning visage of the waves crashing on the shore and Avatar Aang Memorial Island in the distance, along with Air Temple Island. It hurt him now, though. Without his bending, he was nothing but a nobody. He couldn't feel the waves' push and pull, or the gentle tug in his chest as the full moon rose above him. Having his bending taken away really hurt, and not just emotional.

Without thinking the former probender raised a hand to touch the bruise on his arm from having to protect himself from thieves just a few nights ago. It was a testament to just how helpless he was now. Yes, Tahno had been able to chase the men off, but before the championship they would have gone running at the sight of him.

Now though…

Tahno sighed and looked down at the small rocky cliff. It was a strange stone formation, probably from some earthbenders. It was there before Tahno moved in, so it wasn't that particular thing that caught his eye. No, it was the figure standing _on top_ of it.

His curiosity spiked and slowly the ex-bender went down the steps and started walking towards the shadow. He was about to call out once he got to the bottom of the rocks, but was stopped as he saw the person bending down. They were doing something with their ankles, and in only the moonlight, all Tahno could see was something akin to string in their hands.

The person stood straight again and two quiet words came from the now-discovered girl's mouth. Two little words that struck fear and an overwhelming sense of nausea in the rich young man.

"I'm sorry."

She took an almighty leap and jumped off the edge of the rock, the stones tied to her ankles yanking her down alarmingly fast. She let her arms hug herself as she crashed into the water. Her body quickly disappeared from view.

Tahno's breath was coming short and heavy now. Did she just…? _It doesn't matter!_ he yelled at himself mentally. _You got to do something!_ With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Tahno leapt into the water after the girl.

The water was freezing cold and almost made the ex-bender gasp. The water was thankfully clear enough that he was able to see a glimmer of a reflection off to his left. It was obviously a piece of jewelry or something of the like. He swam after it as fast and as hard as he could.

Halfway there Tahno was forced to come back up for air. His lungs were burning and his eyes were stinging from keeping them open underwater. However, he only allowed himself a few more breathes before diving back under.

He couldn't see anything. It was too dark, too murky. The moon alone was not enough light to see properly and his hope was slowly falling. Tahno's lungs were screaming, pleading for oxygen. He dispelled a few bubbles before spotting the glitter again. He chased after it.

Soon the girl appeared, rocks settled at the bottom. Her eyes were closed and Tahno couldn't tell if it was because she didn't want to see or she was already unconscious or worse. Without touching her the former probender swam down and pulled the knife he now carried out of his boot. Immediately he set to work on cutting the ropes that held her down.

Just as he didn't think he could go on for much longer, both snapped. The girl's eyes did not open and she didn't move at all, suggesting she was no longer awake. Tahno didn't have time to speculate anything as he pushed off the muddy bottom, grabbing her and pulling her body close to his as he desperately swam upwards.

Tahno's vision was dotted with black spots as he finally saw the glimmer of the moon. They were close. They were going to make it. Tahno burst from the water and drug in much needed breathes, lungs aching from deprivation. She did not stir from her position against him, head lolling slightly from side to side on his chest. The black haired young man fervently hoped her heart was still beating.

They came to the shore and Tahno tossed up onto the ground and crawled up next to her. He shivered in the cold autumn air but ignored it. He pressed his fingers below her jaw on her neck, fumbling for a pulse. With the other hand he pulled his hair back from his eyes, watching her chest to see if she was breathing.

_Ba bump. Ba bump. Ba bump._

Her pulse was there, but just barely.

With a jolt, Tahno realized that though she was still alive, her chest was not moving and there was no air coming from between her slightly parted lips. He had to get her breathing, and soon. It only took a split second before his mouth descended on hers, pushing his breath into her body. Her stomach rose and then fell after he pulled back. Tahno put his hands on her and thrust down roughly, trying to dislodge the water that was no doubt blocking her airways.

No luck. He repeated the process again and again. Finally, on the sixth try, the girl lurched forward, harsh coughs erupting from her. Tahno quickly grabbed hold of her shoulders and turned her onto her side, wincing in sympathy as water spewed from her and onto the ground. He gently put an arm around her waist and held her up, threading his fingers through her long ebony to keep the strands out of the way of her sick.

Once everything was out, the girl fell back into his arms, slipping back into unconsciousness. Tahno sighed and sat back on his haunches. For the first time he actually looked at the girl. She appeared to be about the same age as him with raven black hair that reached just past her shoulders. Her cheekbones were high and prominent, bags hanging her eyes showing the product of many sleepless night. If not for the fact she was skin and bones thin and the deep sadness that showed on her face even in sleep, Tahno might have thought her beautiful.

The ex-bender shivered again and decided it would be best if they both got inside where it was warmer. He gently lifted the young woman and slightly stumbled back to his house.

**A/N- There we are, the first chapter. I know I left a lot of questions hanging now, but that's how it's supposed to be! I really hope you all liked it! :D**

**Not much else to say…**

**Please review!**

**~L~**


	2. Chapter 2 Fighting

**A/N- So, changed some things and got the plot straightened out in my mind. Sorry for all the 'girl' and 'she' references, but it's rather hard when there's only a few things I could call Bree other than her name.**

**One of my longer chapters by about six hundred words. No idea how that happened, but I'll roll with it.**

**Also, this is before the Equalists attack Air Temple Island, but after Tahno lost his bending. Just making that clear.**

**Joybend! (lol, just came up with that! …Don't judge me, it's late right now.) **_**(Edit- yes, I'll admit it was a lame joke, but it was almost midnight when I came up with it. Don't judge me, people.)**_

The girl's senses slowly came back to her. It was all a blur, a mass of colors, and the sounds were slightly distorted. A face was above her and immediately she was sent into panic mode. Without stopping to think about anything, she thrust out a fist and sent a fireball towards the apparent attacker.

The face leapt back and the young woman shot up and off the bed. She didn't take time to realize it _was_ a bed, instead sending a blast of fire towards the retreating figure. The firebender's vision was slightly blurry and threw off her aim. Consequently, her attacks where clumsy and her stance weak as blood pounded in her ears and her chest screamed in pain. One punch, another, a kick, advancing forward.

It threw the ebony haired teen off when he did not attack back. That is, until she got close enough. He grabbed one of her wrists and twisted it, pulling it behind her with sudden force. The world was teetering out of control as she tried to spin away from him. Flames shot from her mouth, a harsh yell filling the room. She tried to burn him, but he reached around and grabbed hold of her other arm, yanking it back alongside the other one.

His grip was strong as he forced her to the ground, her eyes blazing in fury. She tried to twist out of his grasp, but to no avail. He held on and wouldn't let her go. She grew tired soon and stopped throwing flames from her mouth. Her head dropped and hung limply, gasping for breath. Her lungs hurt, her throat was terribly dry, and her whole body was so sore it was almost like a reply of when she had trained for five hours straight.

The man saw her stop and carefully pulled her arms in front of her before moving and kneeling in her line of sight. "Hey, hey," he said softly. He had dark hair that lay lifelessly on both sides of his face and he kept her wrists in a firm grasp. "You're alright. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you. You're safe." The girl finally looked up at him, amber eyes sparking.

"What do you want?" she rasped.

"I want to help you. My name is Tahno. What's yours?" The girl eyed him with distrust before spitting out her reply.

"Bree." Tahno smiled slightly at her.

"Well, Bree, I'm not going to hurt you. If I go get you something to drink, will you promise not to burn my house down?" The young woman looked down at her captive hands and nodded, a plan forming in her mind. "Alright then. I'll just be over here in the kitchen, okay?" Tahno let go of her hands and got up slowly. As soon as he took a step back, she shot up from the floor and tried to leap for the nearby window that she had miraculously noted during their fight.

Tahno lunged at her in a fraction of a second, dragging her back down to the ground. "Stop!" he shouted. Immediately, Bree's countenance changed dramatically. She dropped down to her knees, eyes wide with fear and body trembling. Her whole posture screamed defeat and humbleness. Tahno could see something pass behind her eyes, something akin to remembrance reflecting there. It was such a sudden change he felt a chill pass through him.

"S-sorry…" he heard her stutter. "P-please d-don't hurt m-me."

Tahno was shocked and let go of one of her wrists. He brought his hand up and gently stroked her cheek, silently noting how she flinched away. "I won't hurt you at all. I promise. I just want you to stay here, okay?" She nodded. "Here, let's get you up onto the bed." The former waterbender got up and gently placed his hands under her arms.

Bree let herself be lifted up and placed on the edge of the mattress. She kept as still as she could, hoping not to be beaten like this man obviously could.

"Now just stay here, alright?" Tahno said softly. It was obvious she was distressed. Bree nodded quickly and watched as he left the room. Without thinking, she pulled her feet up on the bed and hugged her knees close to her chest.

Tahno returned a few moments later and paused at the doorway. Something was going through the young woman's mind and he wasn't sure if he should interrupt or not. Eventually, though, she glanced up at him, eyes flicking to the cup in his hand. The ex-bender smiled slightly. He walked over and sat next to her. "Here you are, Bree." He held out the glass and she grabbed it quickly, draining the water from it with surprising speed.

Once she was done she handed the cup back to him. "Thanks," she mumbled. "Where am I?" The firebender finally took a good look around the room. "And why am I... Here..." Bree suddenly remembered what happened before waking up in this strange place.

Tahno didn't notice the realization dawn across her face. "This is my house. There wasn't really-" He wasn't at all prepared for the firebender to grab his shirt roughly.

She hissed at him with a deadly snarl, "Why! Why did you pull me out? I was going to be free! You should have left me!" Tahno's eyes widened drastically. "I _wanted_ what I was trying to do! Did you not see the rocks?"

"I couldn't just let you die! Suicide is not the answer, not now, not ever!" Bree violently flinched at the word. Her response was so quiet he almost didn't hear it.

"I could have been free from..."

"What do you mean?" Bree clenched her jaw and folded her arms. She did _not_ want to talk about this _at_ _all_. "Tell me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't have saved you."

"Because. I'm a firebender."

Tahno almost toppled backwards in shock. "So? Bending is amazing! What's wrong with firebending?"

"It's not the bending part that I don't like. It's the fire. It seems like all it ever does is destroy. The Hundred Year War was because of fire, houses burn from it, people die and are scarred by it, and fire is the reason Amon found a way to take people's bending. It's a bad element. So hard to control, and when you're born a firebender, so is your temper." At this, she looked down. "As you have seen."

The ex-bender took a moment to collect his thoughts. "So? Not everyone who firebends is bad. The Avatar has it, and that Mako kid who hangs with her. Although he's kind of a jerk, he doesn't use his fire for bad. He fights Amon for everyone's rights. He grew up on the streets  
and he didn't turn out half bad. Except for the fact he can't choose between the Avatar and the Sato chick. But fire isn't evil when used for the right purposes. If you think it's completely bad, then you must be crazy!"

The young woman shook her head, ebony locks moving to hide half of her face. She didn't bother moving them as she glared at him with one visible, intense gold eye. "Then I must be raving mad." She got up and Tahno stood along with her, his hand reaching out to her.

"Bree, wait!" She paused. "How about this? Tomorrow I'll take you to Air Temple Island and around the city. If you can't find something to live for after I show you, well, then..." Tahno swallowed hard and looked away. "Then I'll let you go and do what you tried to before, alright?"

Bree was silent for a few moments, then turned her head to face him halfway. "Alright, fine. But don't expect it to be easy to persuade me. I've had it up to here with the disappointment, loneliness, and just this whole damned world in general. Got it?"

"Got it. Now get some sleep. It's almost the middle of the night and I want you to be ready and refreshed for tomorrow." She turned and looked up at him, their chests almost touching. He was almost forced to remember when Korra had looked up at him like that in Narook's, but  
that thought was quickly shoved from his mind when he realized just how different the situations really were and that she had a gleam in her eyes that was totally irrelevant to the Avatar's. It was hard, world weary, and was absolutely distrustful. Also, there hidden in the depths, was pain, confusion, and fear etched into her expression. Then she completely surprised him.

The young firebender moved and went to lie on the floor. "What are you doing?" he asked, incredulous.

"What does it look like? I'm going to sleep like you said, smart one."

The former Wolfbat sent a puzzled look her way. "I meant on the bed, not the floor!"

"It's your bed, not mine. I'm not going to take it."

"Look," he said, feeling a headache coming on. "It's not often I do something nice, so just take the bed, yeah?" She huffed and got up.

"Fine, I'll sleep on the bed. Don't get your britches in a twist." Tahno grinned slightly.

Then she completely shocked him.

The ebony haired teen leant up and pressed a quick kiss on his cheek. It was over soon enough, but the former waterbender felt his face heating up rather quickly. She chuckled quietly at his reaction. "How I was raised, that's how you thank a guy most of the time." She moved with speed and was soon laid out and under the covers.

"Uh..." Once again, she laughed softly. It was a funny kind of laugh, loud and none too graceful. Her appearance deceived what kind of a girl she was. He'd thought if she ever laughed, it would be a quiet, girly giggle. But the ex-bender was totally wrong.

"Goodnight, Tahno."

"N-night, Bree."

She immediately fell into a troubled and fitful sleep.

**A/N- And that's that for chapter 2! I hope I grabbed some more readers, now, since I only had like 40 hits on this. That's way below my usual. Anyways, I really hope you all are enjoying it so far!**

**Please review!**

**~L~**


	3. Chapter 3 Muffins

Tahno woke to an odd sight. Bree was staring out the window, one arm flung over her head and elbows resting on the sill. Her clothes looked torn and singed in some places. He stood, back cracking in protest from sleeping on the floor, and made his way over.

She didn't notice him until he was directly across from her. Once she did, though, her hand moved quickly to wipe away tear tracks. "What do you want?" she spat vehemently.

Tahno was taken aback by the venom in her voice. "Nothing! I just woke up, and..." he trailed off. The ex-bender gathered up his courage before continuing. "What happened to your clothes?"

Bree sighed and turned her face away so Tahno could only see the bare corner of her eye. "I tend to get... Violent nightmares. I'm surprised you didn't wake up."

"Yeah, well, I'm a heavy sleeper." He chuckled, trying to break the harsh tension. "I could probably not stir for an earthquake!" Bree gave a breathy laugh, head dropping between her shoulders. The former Wolfbat grinned.

The firebender turned towards him, eyes sparkling. "Speaking of which, _are_ you an earthbender? Because your snores just about shook the ground!" They both laughed and Bree pulled herself away from the window, standing straighter.

It was only now that she really now that she realized the feeling in her gut was the terrible ache of hunger, stemmed from almost a full week without food. Her stomach clenched painfully at the possibility of eating soon. "Hey, um, do you have something... For breakfast I could have?" she asked slowly. After all, the young woman didn't want to seem selfish or greedy, but she was _hungry._

"Yeah, of course! How about this- you go get yourself a nice bath and I'll cook something up for us. I'll leave some clothes outside of the door for you, too." Bree smiled halfway.

"Um, do you have... I mean, could you, uh..." The firebender looked down, struggling with actually asking for something for herself. "Could you make some cinnamon muffins? I mean, you don't have to, but, you know, if you would, that'd be great."

Tahno grinned. "I'll see what I can do. Bathroom is down the hall and second on your left." Bree nodded and left. The former waterbender waited for a few minutes before going down there. Yup, her clothes were outside the door. He scooped the ruined fabric up and put them in the washroom. He'd grab her something to wear once the muffins were started cooking.

~ ~

The muffins were a total disaster.

It was three tries before the batter was right and he was able to put the pan in the oven. Hurrying to the washroom, Tahno searched desperately for something that he thought would fit Bree. Every now and then he heard a soft splash, signaling she was still taking her bath, so he wasn't completely concerned as of right now. /Thank goodness for long baths,/ he thought silently.

The former Wolfbat finally decided on a brown and black short sleeved tunic that had hints of icy blues and a regular pair of casual pants. Nothing fancy, but he really didn't think she'd go for one of the dresses he had from his parents. They'd sent him various ones over the years, wanting him to get a girl- preferably one that would look good in this or that dress. Essentially, they wanted someone to play dress up with.

The clothes in hand, Tahno turned and strode into the hall, before a horrible smell reached his nose. He sniffed. Something was burning.

_The_ _muffins!_

The pants and shirt forgotten, the ex-bender raced through the corridor and into the kitchen. The inside of the stove was ablaze, thick black smoke curling to the ceiling. Grabbing a mitt he yanked open the door and leapt back with a roar as the flames shot out towards him. He couldn't bend and his sink didn't have a hose, so he did the only thing he could think of.

Tahno started beating the flames with the clothes still clutched tightly in his grasp. He heard a faint voice call out to him repeatedly, but he didn't pay any mind to it. No, he just had to get the fire out!

Then suddenly, the flames started shrinking. They pulled in on themselves and lifted up and out of the oven. It was so odd, the former Wolfbat didn't even notice that the fire from the now-crispy and burned clothes rose too, until it joined with the other blaze in the hovering ball. Then, it sizzled out.

"What the...?"

"Tahno! Are you alright? Did you get burned?"

Tahno whipped around at the voice, heart stuttering in his chest at the shock of the voice. There stood Bree.

She was dripping wet, hair plastered to her face and eyes wild. One of the firebender's hands was outstretched, the other one held across her chest. Her cheeks were flushed from alarm and the steam of the bath she'd just gotten out of.

Bree wore only a towel.

Bree was soaking up to her nose in her bubble bath. It was nice and nwarm, the water calming her frazzled nerves and sweeping over her in gentle waves. Her muscles were slowly relaxing from the constant tension they had, even during sleep. It felt so good that the firebender almost never wanted to get out.

A couple of times Bree heard the guy in the house going past the bathroom, for whatever reason she didn't care. If she was being truthful, just the fact knowing he was there made her calm even more. There was definitely something about that man. Perhaps she... Liked him?

Her head jerked at the thought. No. If she truly liked him, she would slip away in the city and leave him, never to see the strange young man again. It was the least she could do. Bree didn't want him getting involved in her, her life, and especially those in her life. Besides, she'd only known him for one night. It wasn't long enough to actually know him enough to like him.

A faint burning smell reached her nostrils. Bree's nose gave a small twitch before she sneezed, flames shooting out and hitting the surface of the water. The firebender /hated/ the smell of smoke.

Suddenly, the sound of running feet came from the hall. The steps were frantic and quick, and not long after she heard Tahno yelling quite loudly. He sounded distressed and, judging from the pervading smell, it had a lot to do with fire. Bree jumped from the tub and prayed to the spirits he had either left some new clothes outside, or hadn't picked up her old ones.

Just her luck, there was not one item of clothing outside the door.

Bree shut her eyes tightly, trying to decide. Maybe Tahno could handle the flames by himself. Maybe she was just overreacting and it was only a small fire. But, judging by his pained and 'manly' scream, it was no stovetop contained blaze.

Mentally donning her 'courage cloak', Bree grabbed the black and fluffy expensive towel. She yanked it roughly around herself. Her left arm held it tightly closed at the top. The other end just barely reached mid-thigh. The amber eyed young woman felt overly exposed as she rushed out and into the kitchen.

Her black locks hung limply in her eyes as she took in the giant flame that was shooting out of the open oven door. It was huge and spat at Tahno ferociously. She swept her right hand out, the flames leaping to obey the command. They gathered up and out of the stove, forming a glowing ball of live fire. Almost as an after-thought Bree included the fire from the burning clothes the former Wolfbat held.

Her hand clenched shut and the flames squeezed in on itself until they disappeared completely. That's when she called out to him. "Tahno! Are you alright? Did you get burned?"

He turned to her and Bree's face flushed. He had no shirt on, presumably because he got hot while trying to make the batter. His pants hung slightly low on his hips, a teeny trail of dark hair leading down below the waistband. Lean, pale muscle coiled and released as his chest heaved for breath. Parts of him ranged from being dusted to covered in flour- there was even a white streak in his hair following the possible trail of fingers combing through the raven locks. The former Wolfbat's cerulean eyes were wide and cheeks red, pink tinting even the tips of his ears. His lips were full and parted slightly. How she ached to touch them, kiss them, compare them to her own, no matter how dire the consequences might be.

They stared at each other for a few moments- him covered in flour and arm red from where the fire had licked him, and her dripping wet with her ebony strands covering golden eyes. Then, just like that, the spell was broken.

Tahno forced his gaze away and onto the ground, trying desperately hard not to grab her and pull her flush against himself. She, on the other hand, turned and fled back into the hall, slamming the bathroom door closed behind her.

Bree leaned against the wood and slowly slid down. Her head fell into her hands and her knees drew up close. The firebender suddenly felt nauseous despite the fact her stomach was completely empty. Had she really thought that? _Kiss him..._ What an absurd idea. They'd only just met and she didn't want him involved with the Revolt.

A single tear slid down the suicidal girl's cheek as she thought about the danger she had put Tahno in.

**A/N- Sorry, don't have time for an a/n, please review!**

**~L~**


	4. Chapter 4 Dresses

**A/N- Wow! I'm updating this one really fast! That's amazing for me! :D This is more of a filler chapter, but there is some important information. It kind of shows what kind of life Bree had before she met Tahno. We'll be getting to the actions soon (*cough* Next chapter *cough*).**

**Aaaanyways!**

**I haven't put up a disclaimer yet I don't think, so here it is- If I owned Legend of Korra, Tahno would become an epic chi-blocker before the finale and therefore join the Krew, becoming Korra's boyfriend eventually. But I don't, so that probably won't happen. So… Dammit.**

**Joybend! (Yes, I'm going to keep it!)**

Tahno knocked on the bathroom door after about ten minutes. "Bree? There's some clothes just outside. I pretty much guessed you like pants and the like, but this is the best I could find. I'll be in the dining room when you're done."

Her voice floated to him through the door, quiet and tainted with remaining embarrassment. "Alright. See you soon, Wolfbat."

Tahno almost fell on his face. "What?" he squealed in an undignified way.

"Oh, sorry." Bree cracked the door open slightly, face peering out at him. "I guess I never told you that I used to watch the Probending matches. You're Tahno of the White Falls Wolfbats, three year champs, your teammates are Ming and Shaozu, you like to use lots of double sided attacks, you use your bending to do your hair, you sometimes falter on your left side, and you have a small hesitation in your left ankle when you do flips or spins, probably from the previous break in your first match."

Tahno gaped at her. _How...? How did she know all that?_ he thought. She blushed and averted her eyes.

"I kind of followed your team from the beginning. You were just so... Different. You and the Fire Ferrets are my favorites teams. The other I just learned from watching and observing. I don't really have too hard of a time with finding strengths and weaknesses. And our hair, well... I got curious one time and had my... Friend," there was a hesitation as she said this, her lip curling slightly, "try out my theory."

The ex-bender blinked. She had used all the terms in present tense. Surely she had heard about his bending. "Oh," he murmured.

"Speaking of which, when do you think they'll finish the repairs on the arena? I'd love to watch one of your matches again." There was no way she knew about the former Wolfbat's bending, otherwise she wouldn't be saying something like this.

"Uh... Bree? How about you get dressed and come out for breakfast, and I'll explain some things to you." The firebender's eyes flitted back to Tahno.

"Sure." She seemed apprehensive. "And as long as the clothes aren't too revealing or... Sparkly, I'll live with it." At this, Bree looked down at the clothes in his hands. "That doesn't look too bad. I can deal with it." She smiled slightly at him. Tahno nodded and handed over the cloth.

He stumbled over his words a bit, "I-if you, uh, need help..."

"I'll call for you."

Tahno nodded, cheeks flushing pink for a moment before he turned and went back to the kitchen. Since she knew he had been a Probending, he decided on a whim to do his hair. He'd learned how to do his hair like he had before his bending was taken away, in a desperate attempt to return some normalcy to his life. The former Wolfbat had given up by the time he saw Korra in the police station, though.

Now, he grabbed his hair products from under the sink and quickly set to work.

It took Tahno ten minutes to do his hair, two to change into his usual clothes, and ten to make some waffles and set the table. It was an awfully long time for Bree to still be getting into the dress, so the former Wolfbat stepped into the hall and knocked on the door.

Inside, Bree hurried from her position, sitting on the ground with knees drawn up to her chest and head buried. She hastily stood, wiping the tear tracks off her face and staring down in dismay at the rumpled dress that was twisted around her frame. No matter what the firebender tried to do, she only served to mess up even more.

"T-Tahno?" she asked quietly. Bree didn't want him to see the disaster, but at the same time she didn't think she could get in or out of the dress without help.

The former Wolfbat could hear the quiver in her voice. "You alright?" At his kind tone, so different from what she heard in the ring or when he was with his group, Bree broke down and started crying. She covered her face with her hands, the dress hanging off of one shoulder and horribly twisted.

"I-I c-c-can't... It's not... T-Tahno..." She sunk to her knees.

"Bree?" Tahno opened the door cautiously and peered in. The firebender's sobbing form shocked him. "Bree!" he cried and hurried over to her.

"I-I c-couldn't... The dress..." Bree sobbed even harder.

Tahno knelt next to her and gently rubbed her arm, totally out of his element. "Shh. It's alright. Calm down. I'll help you get the dress on; it's not your fault."

She started calming down and sniffled. "I can't believe I can't even put on a stupid dress," the ebony haired girl said with a bitter chuckle. Tahno saw disappointment and self-loathing in her amber eyes. He hated seeing that.

With a determined expression, he stood up and pulled her along with him. The ex-bender wiped a few stray tears from her cheeks before starting on her dress. The bright eyed girl stood stock still, but Tahno paid no heed. He didn't pay attention to how close he was, how his fingers brushed her pale skin every now and then.

Finally, the dress was fixed perfectly. He smoothed out the wrinkles and stepped back to admire her.

It was a simple dress, red with a halter top. It creased diagonally down her stomach, accenting her curves. A small black flower graced her right side on her hip and the skirt flared out. The hem swished about her calf, black designs swirling upwards. She was truly a sight to behold, even with wet, flushed cheeks and her hair messy.

Bree stood awkwardly, not quite sure if she liked it or not. "T-thanks, Tahno." He nodded.

The ex-bender looked around a moment before spotting a brush and a length of thread. "Come here," he said, not a hint of embarrassment in his tone. Bree quickly came over and sat when directed to. Carefully he brushed through her ebony locks, mindful of the knots. Soon, though, it gleamed and shone beautifully.

Next he took the hair and wound it expertly into a seductively-messy bun, tying the red thread around. Tahno opened the drawer of the dresser and pulled out a red silk flower. He pinned it in with practiced skill. He then took a cloth and dampened it before gently wiping her face, cleaning it of the tear tracks He nodded to himself, hands on his hips.

"Perfect."

Tahno took her hand and lead her over to a full body mirror. "I'll get some shoes for you. And just in case you were wondering, my sister younger sister lived here. She left all her dresses and accessories for when I got a girl." The former Wolfbat chuckled a little. "I bet she never thought it would be like this." Bree's cheeks flared up again. "I used to do her hair when she wanted it really nice. She was horrible with hairstyles."

The firebender stared at her reflection. "Whoa," she breathed. Tahno smiled and left for the shoes. Bree turned from side to side, trying to take in how _pretty_ she actually looked. It was amazing. A smile grew on her face and the young woman spun in a circle, laughing at how the dress flared out around her.

A thought came to her and Bree walked quickly over to the dresser and picked up a small tube of cherry red lipstick. The firebender wanted to see what kind of effect it had on Tahno. It had an excellent response from Torrin. After she finished she went back to look in the mirror again.

A sense of guilt came over her. This wasn't her home, it wasn't her clothes, and the Probending champ was even giving her a bed, bath, and food. Bree felt she was taking advantage of him and was acting selfishly. Not to mention he would more than likely be pulled into the Revolt one way or another.

She sighed and waited for him to come back.

Tahno finally decided on a pair of red slippers. If Bree couldn't put on a dress, that probably meant she'd never worn heels before. He also grabbed a black shrug to go over the dress.

When he went back into the bathroom, he saw Bree hugging herself slightly. The former Wolfbat went over and said, "Here. You might be more comfortable with this on."

Bree looked up at him and Tahno was surprised to see guilt swimming her eyes. "Tahno... I feel like I'm taking advantage of you. I can't repay you in any way." He smiled reassuringly at her and helped her put on the shrug.

"Actually, you can. Don't... Attempt to do what you tried in the Yue Bay, and I will feel completely repaid." The firebender paused and looked at him, surprised.

"Oh. I guess you want an explanation for that?"

"Yes, I do, but we'll have that conversation during breakfast. I'll also have some things to tell you." Tahno led her to the door. "Oh, and by the way, the lipstick got on your teeth."

Bree blushed.

Miraculously, the waffles were still warm.

They talked from anything to everything. Everything except bending and two nights ago.

After they were pretty well full, Tahno put the dishes in the sink and came back to sit across from the firebender again. They looked at each for a moment before he spoke. "I know this isn't what you want to do, but Bree, you need to talk about what happened. Two nights ago, I found you trying to drown yourself. You got so close to succeeding that I had to perform CPR and you were unconscious until last night. What happened?"

The young woman's stomach flip flopped. This would be really hard.

**A/N- Uh oh. Next chapter we get to learn why Bree tried. This ought to be interesting. I really hope you enjoyed this! I'm having a great time writing!**

**Not really much else to say, but…**

**Please review!**

**~L~**


	5. Chapter 5 Brothers?

**A/N- OHMYGOSHGUYSTHISISSOCOOL! Not counting the a/n's, this chapter is EXACTLY 3,00 words long! Heehee! Don't ask me why I find that so cool, I just do!**

**This is really weird for me, I usually don't update this fast! But I guess when you figure out how to type on your kindle and you already take THAT everywhere, it's not hard to do! And this plot… Gosh! **

**We're starting to get into the action FINALLY! I can guarantee there is more action next chapter! I know, I know, I said that last chapter, but I mean it now! :D**

**Joybend! (Lol, someone's going to eventually kill me for that.)**

_This was going to be hard._

Bree took a deep breath. "I was- still am, I guess, I don't really know- in this relationship with a man named Torrin. I knew I shouldn't have gotten involved with him; he's the leader of a group called the Revolt. I'd tell you more about the Revolt, but I've been sworn to secrecy except for recruiting new followers. Anyways, Torrin was bad to me. I probably still have some evidence of what he would do, but most of it was mental. He'd pick at every little insecurity I had and wouldn't let up."

The former Wolfbat frowned. "A few words? Couldn't you have just broken up with him? That's not a good excuse for suicide."

"You don't know half the story, hopefully won't ever, and you have no idea what it was like," the young woman growled, eyes narrowing. "Anyway, he would do things like talk about how my parents were dead and my brothers most likely were too. Then he'd go on about my body and my personality, anything he could get to make me feel worse. He'd sometimes go beyond just words too, and I still have a scar on my lower abdomen from him in a rage. I would have left him long ago, but there's something that keeps pulling me back, making me stay with him.

"Torrin is also the leader of the Revolt, so me being his girlfriend was a major thing. Somehow he turned me to their cause and, once my secret was out to them, I was guarded at all times- except for when Torrin wanted me to himself. We got in a fight about some of the views we differed from with the Revolt's supposed 'laws' one time and he said some things. I said some back, and he ended up yelling at me that no one loved me, I was just a tool, and I could just go die and rot in a hole for all he cared." Bree finished and looked down. Obviously this 'Revolt' thing was a large part of the reason too, but Tahno didn't want to push his luck.

Instead, he gave a low whistle. "So because this Torrin said he didn't care for you, you thought it would be fine to go and kill yourself?"

Wrong move.

Bree slammed her fists down on the table and shot up. Her eyes blazed with fury, hurt, and misunderstanding. "You don't know what it was like!" she yelled. "My parents were killed by firebenders, I was taken by those same men, I don't know if my two brothers are alive or not, I HATE being able to bend fire, and the one guy I thought liked me for me told me to DIE IN A HOLE!" Bree panted and Tahno dully noted her flaming hands.

"Okay, just... Calm down..." The former Wolfbat had his hands up as if surrender. "I'm sorry." A few minutes passed and Bree slowly cooled off. The fire in her hands extinguished and her face lost the fight. She plopped back into her chair heavily.

"Sorry. I don't know why I flared up like that. Probably this stupid firebender spirit."

Tahno reached over and gently took her hand. "If it's any consolation, I like a girl with fire." He smirked cockily. Bree's mouth quirked into a small smile, shoulders shaking slightly with mirth. He hated that he had to kill her mood, but she had to know now, or else he'd never tell her. The former Probender's face fell. "Bree... I need to tell you something. About my bending... At the last championship, when Amon destroyed the Arena?" She nodded. "Amon took Ming's, Shaozu', and mine's bending away."

Bree's face balked, despite her already pale color. "Tahno, I-I didn't know... That's horrible. Torrin never told me _that_ happened."

The former Wolfbat looked away. "It's alright, I suppose. There was an awkward pause.

"So, um... Sorry for asking, but... Was I wrong about my theory for your hair?"

Tahno laughed. "No, no, you were right about that! I just figured out how to do it without my waterbending!" Bree grinned.

"I don't think Amon took away /all/ of your bending." Tahno glanced at her curiously, face still alight.

"What do you mean?"

"Well. Obviously you can bend. _Hairbend_."

They both broke out into fits of giggles, unable to control themselves. They laughed and laughed, the stress and the shock of the previous while rolling out of their systems, forming almost hysterical chuckles and guffaws until tears came to their eyes.

Eventually they stopped, stupid smiles on their faces. Silently they stood from their seats and, Tahno taking Bree's arm, they left to go around Republic City.

~*~

First they went to a magic show that Tahno had heard about on the radio. Bree laughed and thoroughly enjoyed it, even though she told him she knew exactly how they were done. Tahno didn't believe her until she told him how the magicians had done the first few tricks. After that, the ex-bender didn't question her.

That lasted for about half the morning. After it, the former Wolfbat took her to a special shop and bought her a silver ring with a genuine ruby in the center, flanked by four small pieces of topaz.

They then took a stroll in the park, resting on a bench on the side of the lake. Bree had accidentally fallen asleep on Tahno's shoulder, and (although his arm had fallen sleep) they stayed that way till noon. The Wolfbat had had to wake her up, as much as he didn't want to.

Then they went to Narook's. Bree obviously had a liking for Water Tribe noodles, which Tahno thought was weird with her being a firebender, but he shook it off. They ate and joked and laughed, both of them feeling much better. Just as they were about to leave, however, a man walked in.

His light brown hair was cropped short, a hippo-cow's lick on the right side of his head. His brown eyes were slightly dull and his posture showed defeat. Hopelessness practically radiated from his firm frame. If he had been proud as he looked like he could easily be, he would have almost been a more formidable foe muscle-wise than Bolin.

As soon as Bree looked up and saw him, she froze. The firebender turned her head away quickly, covering her face with her arm, and whispered urgently, "Tahno, we have to leave. Right now."

The former Wolfbat was confused before an idea hit him. "Is that Torrin?"

"No, that's one of his buddies. We have to get out of here. _Now_."

Tahno looked around and spied a girl at a table next to them with a black fan. He reached over and tapped her shoulder. "Excuse me, miss, but is it alright if I buy your fan from you? My girlfriend would like one before we go to a show later on, and we don't have enough time to go to a shop and buy one." The young woman blushed and nodded her consent, unable to resist Tahno's charming smile and dazzling eyes.

"It'd be my pleasure." She unclipped the fan from her waist and handed it to the ex-bender, taking the small stack of yuans in return.

"Thank you, miss."

"You're very welcome. And I can tell she's lucky to have you." The young woman glanced at Bree, but there was not a hint of jealousy to be found coming from her.

"But you see, I'm luckier to have a girl like her," the silver eyed teen replied. "Thank you again." She nodded and Tahno turned back to Bree. "Here," he said. I'm guessing you don't want them to know you're here." The firebender shook her head ferociously and popped the fan out, covering her face.

Tahno left the money on the table and stood with Bree, wrapping an arm around her possessively. He nodded to Narook and walked past the man.  
Torrin's friend glanced at them only briefly, not seeming to recognize the girl's eyes peering out over the fan. He turned away quickly enough.

Outside the firebender let loose a sigh of relief, but didn't relax her posture or let the fan drop from her face until they were a block away. "That was a close one," she eventually breathed. "I bet there are probably more of his henchmen lurching around. This was a stupid idea, even if we don't come into contact with any of Torrin's close pals, the Revolters have seen enough of me to know who I am. They also know where to take me."

Tahno was silent for a moment. Then he came up with an idea. "I know. I know just the place where there are guaranteed to be no Revolters, plus there's someone you'll probably think is cool to meet. Follow me." He grabbed Bree's hand and led her through Republic City to the docks. They boarded one and the ferry set off towards Air Temple Island.

"Why are we-" she began.

Tahno, not realizing they hadn't let go of each other, squeezed her hand gently. "You'll see."

~*~

At last the ferry docked and the two climbed down off the boat. They silently watched it leave and go back to the mainland for a few moments before turning their gaze towards the Air Temple.

Bree was taken aback at the size of the place. For some reason, she'd always believed it would be smaller.

Just then, a little girl on an air ball whizzed over. "Who are you?" she asked rapidly. "I'm Ikki, I live here, are you going to see Korra or Bolin or Asami or Mako? Oh, maybe you're here to see Mommy or Dad, are you? Hey, aren't you that guy who lost his bending, huh, huh, is this your girlfriend, she's pretty, I like her dress! Can I have a dress like her, please please please, Mister?" Bree and Tahno looked at each other, not sure how to take this rambunctious little girl.

"Uh..." Tahno tried to say something. Just then, Bree saw two teenage boys walking over to him. One, the bigger and stronger looking one, had a confused look on his face, while the other was scowling.

"What are you doing here?" the latter practically snarled. Bree recoiled at the harsh tone before she realized it was directed at Tahno. "You have no business here!"

"Well, I brought Bree here-"

The young man's amber eyes sparked. "Don't use the girl as an excuse!" Suddenly, Bree's eyes snapped to the red scarf around his neck. The two keep going at each other, Tahno trying to explain and the other teen getting more and more agitated, but the firebender couldn't focus on them.

She'd seen that scarf before...

Images flashed before her eyes.

_A smiling face of a man, a happy woman, wrappings scattered around the Christmas tree, and two little boys sitting by their parents, opening their last gifts. Bree had already gotten hers- a silver wristband that used to be her mother's. She toyed with it as she watched the smallest boy, but still a year older than her, enthusiastically unwrapped a small sack covered in green paper and the symbols for 'earth', 'peace', and 'harmony'. Inside was a small pair of cute boots with no soles._

"Ah, cool!" he squealed, delight shining on his face. "Just like what the legendary Toph used to wear!" His parents grinned and smiled as the young earthbender pulled on his new shoes. "I love them! Thank you Mommy and Daddy!" His bright green eyes closed shut as he hugged them both.

Their mother said something, but her voice was distorted, unclear. However, the oldest of the three picked up his own last box that sat in front of him. It was wrapped in red paper and the cardboard inside was designed with flames. He opened up the lid and gasped. "Papa!" he exclaimed as he pulled out the length of red cloth. "This is your scarf!"

Another warbled reply came from their father this time. The young firebender grinned from ear to ear and stood, having their dad help wind the fabric around his neck. "Thank you so much, Papa," the boy said, tears forming in his eyes.

Bree snapped back to reality abruptly fast. That... That was a memory. And... And that was the scarf.

As soon as she connected the pieces together, the ebony haired girl started shaking in rage. How dare he! How dare he wear that piece of cloth!

"Where did you get that?" she hissed. All three of the boys turned their eyes to her, startled at the venom in her voice. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Bree noted the little girl (Ikki?) had run off. But that didn't matter right now.

"I'm sorry?" the leaner teen asked.

Bree pointed at him. "Where did you get that scarf?" Her eyes narrowed to slits at his reply.

"My father gave it to me." He started turning back to Tahno.

"Liar!" Bree practically screamed. "Liar!" She threw a fist out and sent a ball of fire his way.

"Mako, look out!" Tahno yelled. He was in action before the accused had time to register what was happening. He tackled him to the ground, the flames shooting overhead. They quickly disentangled and stood up. "Bree, what are you doing?" Tahno cried.

She paid him no heed. "That's not your scarf! Its owner is dead!" The firebender lunged forward, eyes and fists blazing. She swung at him and he ducked, and then dodged a second. She spun and kicked out, the other teen barely managing to jump over it in time.

The thief (in Bree's eyes) was almost not fast enough to miss a strike at his chest. They could hear Tahno and the younger boy yelling at them, unable to break them up for fear they'd hurt one the combat was so close.

Bree threw a blazing fist at him. It would have hit him square in the nose and most likely broken it, but a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. In one fluid motion her energy was directed away from the thief and sent her into a spiral. Once she stopped she stared at the girl before her in amazement. That quickly burned into anger again.

"What are you doing? Get out of my way!"

"No! Not unless you tell me why you attacked Mako!" Bree hesitated slightly. That name... Mako... It was so familiar yet so strange. "Well?" the other girl called.

Bree shook off the odd sensation and readjusted her stance. "He stole that scarf! It doesn't belong to him!"

"Are you crazy?" Mako called from behind the girl. "That's mine! It was given to me! I swear!" Immediately, the firebender dropped her fists, the fire disappearing and took a step forward.

"So you didn't steal it?"

"No!"

"Who gave it to you then? Do you know who is he is? Do you know where to find him?" Desperation alit in her eyes as she took another step forward.

"He's dead."

Those two words broke Bree's heart. "No..." she let out. "No, that can't be. How...?" She breathed heavily as a thought crossed her mind. "You killed him!" she screeched" She moved forward to attack both the girl and Mako, but hands grabbed her wrists and forced her to stop. She looked back into Tahno's worried eyes and then to his hands clasped firmly on her skin.

"Bree! Calm down! What happened? Who do you think he killed?" His tone was sincere and it hurt Bree's heart to think he could quite possibly be the only one who cared for her anymore.

"My brother," she whispered. "My dad gave him that scarf at Christmas when we were kids... That summer they were killed by firebenders... I've searched for my brothers everywhere, but I never found them." She sniffed and glared over at Mako, voice cracking. "But I guess it doesn't matter since they're dead too! And robbed of their clothes no doubt!"

Mako's eyes grew wide during the tale, as did everyone else's. When he next spoke it was so quiet they could barely hear him.

"My dad gave me this at Christmas. Could you be...? Are you... Bree? Do you have mother's bracelet?"

She nodded slowly and lifted her arm to show a slim silver wristband, water designs etched the whole way around it. "But... But where's the other one? The one who got the sole-less pair of boots that Christmas too?"

A smile broke out on Mako's face. "You mean Bolin." He waved his hand at the other teen who had until now been unknown to her. "There. That's Bolin. Bo, remember her?"

"Yeah," he breathed. Suddenly, Mako had pushed past Korra and him and Bolin rushed to Bree. Tahno quickly moved because of the speed at which they were coming towards them. He stepped out of the way just as the two enveloped Bree in a bone-crushing group hug.

They let go of her and stepped back. Tahno was absolutely confused, as was the girl a few feet away. Mako then swept her back into a hug, holding tightly. The young woman's hands clutched desperately at the back of his shirt and he said quietly to her, "Bree. I was so worried about you. I tried to find you, but I couldn't. Bolin and I searched for months. There was no trace of you. I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, Maks. I missed you too." Mako chuckled slightly at his old childhood nickname. A tear rolled down Bree's face, Mako was on the verge of crying, and Bolin's face was already soaked.

The oldest firebender let go of her. Bolin gave her a hug as well, but he was too choked up to say anything. Finally, Mako turned to address the other two.

"Guys, meet Bree. Bolin and I are her brothers."

**A/N- Well, that was almost excruciatingly long. Sorry bout that. But what can I say? I couldn't find the right place to stop it. Forgive me? :D**

**Anyways, I don't really have anything else to say. Except, GUYS! Please review! I only have six! Am I shouting in the dark? Please review!**

**~L~**


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